By Lena Smith '24
A great deal of us have started a daily journal and then fallen off shortly afterwards. Or maybe writing became habitual for a few months, but eventually faded away. The conventional diary entry that can easily become a part of our day can also be more burdensome than rewarding. I myself have countless notebooks that I expected to fill, but they now sit largely empty under a film of dust somewhere.
But we should never give up on writing. We need to cultivate our personal histories as often as we can. Nowadays we have access to technology that keeps impressive records of ourselves–for one thing, our devices capture countless videos and photos of our everyday lives–but it is all too easy to forget the power of written histories. What lies behind these pictures of ourselves, the places we have been, and the people we love? The various thoughts and feelings of our lives often get lost with time, becoming vague and hard to grasp at. But when we sit down and write about it, and when we challenge ourselves to articulate not only the concrete objects but also the complex movements of our minds, our past remains vivid. If our lives have intrinsic worth, it follows that writing about it matters too.
Keeping a journal is much more than creating personal histories–it can also enrich us psychologically. Research reveals that writing about negative experiences reduces feelings of distress while also increasing emotional resilience, suggesting that journaling supports our mental health. These benefits were observed only a week after the participants wrote about distressing events, meaning that we don’t need to wait a long time to see the positive effects of writing in our lives. Writing on a habitual basis has been shown to lower symptoms of depression in diagnosed participants, reinforcing the power of self-expression. None of this is to say that keeping a diary can somehow replace other forms of treatment for mental illness, but writing has proven to be a formidable source of psychological welfare. Not only are we keeping track of our lives, but we are also enriching our cognitive orientation toward it.
But writing need not be confined to the conventional diary entry, either. Part of the problem with telling people to write daily is that it tends to feel constricted and bland. In reality, taking time to write can include a variety of different avenues. Think about all the ways you can express your experiences and feelings in writing; poetry, prose, and other creative routes are just as fruitful as basic journaling. In fact, research demonstrates that composing poetry is linked to improved immune and behavioral functioning, and creative writing in general provides the same psychological benefits mentioned above. To that point, I would argue that as long as we take time to express ourselves in tangible ways, it doesn’t even need to be written at all. The goal, then, is to encourage self-expression, not necessarily writing alone. The essence of our lives can be found in paintings, music, movies, or whatever form of creation we see fit. By the end of our lives, we can have an art gallery depicting our history, which is no less valid than a written one. We started with diaries and journals, but the aim of this article is not only to encourage the creation of personal histories, but also the individual approaches toward it. Part of the issue with telling people to keep a diary is that it is not a ‘one size fits all,’ but self-expression is. If we are to keep records of our experiences, it follows that the format should cater to our individual character.
All in all, self-expression is a fruitful exercise that helps us almost instantaneously, and in the years to come. No matter how we decide to imbue our experiences into tangible creations, personal histories are powerful projects deserving of our time.